Mia
The first impressions are critical, and when it comes to healthcare, they are even more so. Several things can make your clinic look very inviting to patients. The waiting room creates the first impression patients have about your clinic. It needs to be clean, warm, and welcoming. You can go for simple furniture that will blend well with the overall theme of the waiting room. Bright colors are bound to make it look more inviting.
Read on to find out what you should do to attract new customers and keep the old ones coming back.
What You Should Do To Improve The Look Of Your Clinic
Your clinic needs to be attractive and more inviting like any other business. Many things can make your clinic look very tempting. Here’s how.
Comfortable Seating Arrangements
There is nothing more uncomfortable for a patient than waiting on a hard chair. The seating in the waiting room needs to be as comfortable as possible so that patients do not have any complaints about being left out alone or having to sit next to sick people. You can opt for comfy chairs for the reception with soft cushions and footrests. These waiting room chairs should be arranged so that they face each other with a coffee table in between, where tea and cookies can be served. The color theme should be calm and restful so that patients do not feel jittery while waiting.
Accessible Location
Accessibility is one of the topmost concerns among patients. If they have to call for an appointment, they need to be assured that it is not too far out of their way. This means that your clinic needs to be easily accessible by car or public transport. Choose a good location that is not too deprived of foot traffic, and make sure the location is easily readable from outside. It is also a good idea to provide transportation services to the clinic. This will offer more advantages than one can imagine. For example, if you have a doctor specializing in diabetes treatments and the patient lives across town, it may take them a lot of time to get there on foot or by taxi. If you have a transportation service, they can be picked up and dropped home.
Bring In Nature
Another way to make your clinic look more inviting is to bring in nature. There are many ways you can do this. For example, you could place a vase with fresh flowers on the reception table or have nature paintings around the room. You can even try using natural fiber rugs over wooden floors so that they rustle slightly when people walk over them. Indoor plants also serve to make the clinic look more inviting, but be sure to limit them to one or two so that it doesn’t look too crowded. They are also easy to maintain and require little or no maintenance. This creates a natural feel to the room and makes patients feel relaxed and at home.
Create A Welcoming Atmosphere
The clinic should make patients feel like they are home. There is no need for significant changes inside the building, but the atmosphere created by you and your staff members can make all the difference. A smiling face of an attendant at the front desk, with a warm welcome, will tell the patients that you are here to help them. The healthcare industry is known for its cold and impersonal dealing with patients. Your receptionist‘s words to a telephone caller or a person at the desk can mean a lot. They should be cheerful and friendly at all times. There is no need to offer coffee and donuts, but you can keep your waiting room well-stocked with exciting magazines and newspapers.
Good Lighting And A Clean Environment
The clinic should be as clean as possible. Cleanliness is next to godliness, as they say, and it will create a good impression on the patients. If you can use natural light as far as possible inside your clinic, that would be great for your patient’s general well-being. The main thing is to make them feel comfortable. Please don’t put on a show of wellness; be sincere and let your patients know that you are there for them at all times. This will leave an everlasting impression, not only on the clients but also on those who hear about it.
Transparency Of Pricing
Many patients feel that they are being cheated when they do not know how much they have to pay for a particular service. This is a crucial factor to consider. Most people choose clinics for their treatment options and inconvenience-free services, but this all goes for nothing if you do not provide them with the knowledge of your pricing structure. If you already have a fixed price listing, keep a detailed sheet in the waiting room for people to go through, and ask them not to hesitate about asking any questions regarding your pricing policy. This all contributes towards trying to make your business appealing and profitable.
Make A Communication Attempt
Many patients might feel a little intimidated by their doctors because they are strangers, and even if they aren’t, most of them speak an entirely different language. To encourage trust-building among your patients, make it a point to converse with them in their respective languages. For deaf patients, make sure you have a sign language interpreter during their appointment. This helps to create an aura of friendliness and approachability, which your clinic might lack otherwise. Also, remember to look at their medical prescriptions before administering treatment to avoid mix-ups.
When it comes to the business of healthcare and wellness, there is no room for failure. If you are a busy clinic that provides different treatments, then be sure to follow these tips to attract more patients. This will help you expand your customer base and bring down your expenses further by increasing your client base. Do not forget to consider the suggestions of your client base and see if you can come up with any new ideas to make things easier for them.
